Automatic cut-out pulley



May 14, 1929. H. l.. JOHNSTON 1,712,758

AUTOMATIC CUT-OUT PULLEY Filed Jan. 1e, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 W a 2 .x J mM m w\\ 3 A yf l Wk. .y

A H. l.. JOHNSTON AUTOMATIC CUT-OUT PULLEY May 14, 1929.

Filed Jan. 16 1925 2 Shets-,Sheet 2 Patented May 14, 1929.

' UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD L. JOHNSTON, OF FOREST HILLS BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOU'SE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OUT IPULLEY.

Application filed January 16, 1925. Serial No. 2,964.

My invention relates to a hanging and releasing mechanism and specifically lto a device for suspending electrically lighted lamps oi the type known in the art as automatic cutout devices.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a support for electrically lighted lampsthat is provided with means for lockingand releasing a suspended lamp by means of a. iiexible operating connection or cord attac/hed thereto.

Another object of my invention is to pr0- vide means for closing the main lighting circuit before opening the lamp circuit when the suspension device is released.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for opening the main or power circuit when the suspension device is released.

Still another object of my invention is to provide protective means for preventing a ground or for preventing an are from the main circuit to the metal parts that are attached tothe flexible operating means.

Heretoiore, automatic cutout devices have been provided with flexible means for locking and releasing the suspended lamp and i'or opening and closing the circuits when the lamp is elevated to the operating position. Such devices were essentially of two members, a fixed member and a movable member. Terminals were so arranged in said members that electrical contacts were made prior to and during the inward and outward movement of the locking means by means of a sleeve contact and a wipe switch.- These devices were entirely satisfactory for low voltage service but when employed in high voltage service there was great danger of a ground from the sleeve contact to the metal parts attached to the flexible operating member because there was no insulating protection therebetween.

My invention is an improvement of the prior devices and it provides a protective insulator or envelope that is disposed between the electrical make and break device and the grounded members in such manner that the operator is at all times protected. In my device, I cause a floating insulating member to be moved between the fixed and movable members hitherto constitu-ting such devices in suoli manner that an envelope of insulating material is disposed in the arcing space prior to, during and subsequent to the period that the electrical circuit through the lamp is closed.

In the drawings constituting a part hereof and in which like numerals designate like parts:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of my deice taken along the line I-I of Fig. 2, an

Fig. 2 is an elevational view ot my device showing a partial view of the cam locking device partially in elevation and partially in cross section.

Referring to Fig. 1, my device iscomprised of three portions or groups of parts, a stationary member 1 that is suspended from a bracket or support (not shown) a Heating member 2 and a movable member 3 from which the lamp is suspended by suitable means such as a hook 4. The floating member 2 and movable member 3 are caused to be locked and detached from the stationary member 1 when the central spindle 5 is raised vertically by means oi' a flexible connection or cord 6. A series of cams in the sleeve member 7 rotate a movable collar 8 on the spindle and the pins 9 in the collar 8 are engaged with and disengaged from a lock ing device that cooperates with the cams and is also a part of the cammed sleeve member 7.

The upper portion of the stationary mem ber 1 is a metal hood 10 that is provided with lugs 11 or other suitable means for attaching the device to its support. In the central portion of the stationary member, the cylindrical sleeve 7 is provided with out wardly extending portions 12 and openings 13 through which screws 14 are inserted for attaching the sleeve to the hood member 10, and also with threaded openings 15 into which bolts 16 are screwed for attaching the insulated member 1 to the sleeve 7. The sleeve 7 is also provided with a pair of out wardly extending ,ears or brackets 17 in which a pulley 18 is mounted so that it delivers the rope 6 in the center of sleeve 7 directly over the center or" spindle 5 to which it is attached. The lower portion of sleeve 7 is provided with a series of cam slots that cooperate with the pins 9 attached to the movable ring 8 on spindle 5 so that the spindle is locked or released by successively elevating and lowering the spindle member into an extreme upward position.

.. The sleeve 23 extends through the central portion of the insulator 2 and is attached thereto by means of a nut 24. A ring formed metal Contact member is mounted on the top of insulator 2 by means of bolts 26 through l which electrical connection is made from the switches 19 in they stationaryl member 1 to conductor members 27 that extend downwardly ythrough the movable member 3 to the lamp.

The movable member 3 is a centrally perforated insulator provided with Washers or stop members 28 on its upper surface and with a nut 29 threaded on the spindle 5 on its lower surface. The nut 29 also serves to retain the f floating member 2 and the movable member 3 in alignment. The periphery of the movablemember 3 is provided with openings 30 corresponding to the cables 27 through which the cables are passed. This insulator is also provided with openings 32 for draining moisture from the cup-shaped depression therein.

A coil spring 33 is disposed between the sleeve 23 of the floating member and the stop 28'of the movable member for holding the floating member 2 in the locked position and for permitting an upward or outward movement of the movable member 3 and spindle 5 when locking and unlocking the pins 9 in the cam sleeve 7.

In operation, the protective insulation of the spindle 5 from the electrical conductors is accomplished by the peculiar shape of the insulated members and by the restrained motion of the floating member 2 while locking and releasing the spindle 5 of the lmovable member 3 in the cam sleeve 7. The fixed insulator 1 has a cup-shaped depression 34 therein, adapted to receive a central upstruck sleeve portion 35 of the floating insulator 2. The sleeve portion 35 in turn is provided with a cup-shaped depression for receiving the lower portion of sleeve 7 so that when the floating member `2 is in the locked or partially locked position, the spindle and sleeve 7 are separated from the switches 19 by two overlapping partitions, namely, a sleeve 36 of insulator 1 and a sleeve 35 of insulator 2.

The make and break switches 19 of which there may be any convenient number are attached to the fixed insulator 1 by concentric rings 20, or other suitable means, and they are extended downwardly a distance such that the sleeve portion 35 of the floating member 1 overlaps the portion 36 of insulator 1 before the main line circuit through the spring fingers is broken and the lamp circuit is closed through the switch contact 25 and cables 27.

The lower surface of floating member 2 is provided with a concentric depression 36 adapted to receive an upstruck sleeve portion 37 of the movableinsulator 3 when the spindle 4 is moved to its cxtreme closed position. The nut 29 on spindle 5 provides means for attaching the floating insulator 2 and movable insulator 3 to the spindle 5 so that the movable insulator 3 is never so far from the floating insulator 2 but that the spindle 5 is always insulated from the cable 27 by a double partition of insulation, namely, portion 37 of insulator 3 and portion 38 of insulator 2.

Fig. 1 shows the position of the several parts of the device as the floating and movable members are being raised into the extreme upward position. The floating and movable members and the lamp have been raised by an operator on the ground by means of the cord (i that is passed over the pulley 18 and attached to the spindle 5. The upstruck sleeve member 35 of the floating insulator first overlaps the portion 36 of the fixed insulator. A further closing movement of the device establishes a circuit from the main power line through switch 19, contact 25 and cable 27 to the lamp and simultaneously breaks the main line circuit that was formerly established through the switch fingers and the floating member 2 is then advanced until the upper surface of sleeve 23 is in contact with the lower portion of sleeve 7 where it floats on the spring 33.

Prior to the overlapping of the fixed and floating insulators, the spindle 5 enters sleeve 7 whichacts as a guide. The pins 9 in the ring 8 enter a spirally shaped guide or cam slot 39 that terminates in portion 40 in the sleeve 7. The cam slot 39 causes the loose collar 8 and pins 9 to turn on the spindle 5. llVhen the floating member 2 reaches its extreme or locked position, the movable member 3 is still in an intermediate position and in order to place it in its extreme position where pin 8 is in the portion 40 of cam slot 39, and where upon a reverse motion, the pins 8 will follow cam slot 42 into the Stop 43, it is necessary to advance the spindle 4 and movable member 31a short distance and to compress the spring 33. This movement compresses the sprin 33 so that when the pin 9 is permitted to fa l back into the stop 43, the floating member is still retained in its locked position. After the spindle 4 has travelled to the end of its stroke as limited by the stop 40 in the cam groove, a reverse movement of the spindle 4 allows the pins 9 to follow the cam groove 42 and to finally be lodged in a lock groove 43 whereby the lamp is suspended from the sleeve 7 and canopy 9.

In order to lower the lamp, the spindle 5 and the movable member 3 are first drawn upwardly against the spring This movement ofthe spindle causes the pin 8 to follow the cam groove 44 and to be turned into a position such that when the spindle 7 is lowered the pin 8 will follow along the spirally shaped cam groove which permits the pins 9 to pass freely out of the sleeve 7 The floating member 2 remains in the locked position until the spring 7 is released to a point where it will no longer support the weight of the member Q in a locked position. Upon further downward movement of the movable member 8, the floating member 2 is lowered. This movement causes the lamp circuit through the switch 19 and contact member 25 to open and the main line circuit to close through the switch 19 while t-he insulating sleeve portion 35 of the floating member 2 still overlaps the insulating portion 36 of the fixed member 1. Upon further releasing the cord 5, the fixed and floating members are lowered with the lamp.

I have described a hanging and releasing device for electrically lighted lamps having means embodied therein for making and breaking the lamp lighting circuit and an arrangement of insulators so constituted that the electrical circuits are at all times protected from a ground. Embodied in the device is a cam mechanism so constituted that the lamp is caused to be locked in a suspended position or caused to be released by a vertical movement of a supporting spindle.

Although I have described a specic embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited thereto as various modifications thereof will suggest themselves tov those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is defined in t-he annexed claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. suspension and electrical contact devicecomprising a hoodmember having an aperture in the lower portion thereof, a floating member, a suspension member, means in said hood and suspension members for maintaining said hood and floating members in engaged relationship when said suspension and hood members are either in locked or partially locked position, electrical contacts mounted on said hood and floating members and an inner insulating collar member disposed on said floating member, said collar being adapted to overlap the wall of said aperture for electrically shielding said contacts from said suspension member when said hood member is in partially locked relationship with said floating and suspension members.

2. In a supporting mechanism for electric lamps, in combination, a. hood, an annular stationary insulator having a plurality of depending annular sleeves, a plurality of make and break switches disposed between the sleeves of the stationary insulator, a stationary portion of a locking and releasing mechanism mounted in said stationary insulator, a movable portion of said locking and releasing mechanism, a floating member and a movable member mounted on said movable portion of said locking and releasing member. said floating member being provided with an upwardly extending circular sleeve member, means for actuating the make and break switches, the upwardly extending circular sleeve of' the floating` member being disposed to intermesh with the depending sleeves on the stationary insulator to provide an overlapped barrier between the make and break switches and the locking and releasing` mechanism.

3. In a supporting mechanism for electric lamps, in combination, a hood, a pulley mounted on the inner portion of said hood, a sleeve provided with a cam supported by said hood, a stationary insulating member mounted in said hood surrounding said sleeve, said stationary insulator being provided with depending flanges, current carrying devices mounted between said depending flanges, a supporting spindle provided with a follower at its upper portion adapted to engage the cam of said sleeve, a supporting insulator member mounted on the lower portion of said spindle provided wit-h an upwardly extending flange, a floating insulator member disposed on the upper portion of said spindle and provided with an upwardly extending flange adapted to coa-ct with said downwardly extending flanges on said stationary insulator member and being further provided on its lower surface with downwardly extending flanges adapted to coact with the upwardly extending flanges of the supporting insulator to provide an overlapped barrier between the current carrying devices and the spindle.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th day of December, 1924.

HOWARD L. JOHNSTON. 

